Ocean Breeze
by Sparkling Amethyst
Summary: While on a Cullen family vacation, Edward picks up a scent he hasn't smelt in six months. He left Bella for her own good, but is this more than an unexpected meeting? He is forced by the love he feels for Bella to save her life once again, but this time, the supernatural world has nothing to do with it. Sort of New Moon's ending without Italy. One shot.


**This is just a little piece that I thought up one day in the light of summer, even though this takes place in January. But it's still got a beach setting, so . . . yeah, summer. **

**Disclaimer - I don't own the Twilight Saga. No copyright infringement is intended by the posting of this one-shot. **

* * *

"Now, _this_," Rosalie stressed, "is relaxing." She leaned back on her overly-expensive beach chair and closed her eyes, resting her palms face-down on the armrests. Her face morphed into an utterly calm expression, something that Carlisle hadn't seen his first "daughter" wear in a very long time.

In her lawn chair beside Rose, Esme sighed. "It really is. I never realized that we were missing something so _peaceful._ This is magnificent!" Her eyes glazed over as she dug her pale, white toes in the sand, watching the soothing waves of the beach the Cullens were on drift in and out, closer and then farther away.

Alice, the third in the row of females, reached her hands above her head, stretching unnecessarily. "The sun feels so . . . warm," she murmured. "I've never felt this . . ."

While Alice struggled for words, Rosalie finished, "Human. I feel human."

Alice lifted her head to look across to her sister. "Yeah, me too." Jasper watched her from his spread-out-on-the-sand blanket, though he was sitting behind her and probably could only see the top of her head. His eyes squinted, though the sun didn't bother any of their eyes.

The semi-private beach that Jasper had borrowed from the only human "friend" that he actually interacted with (who just happened to absolutely fear him) was just what Rosalie had been pining for for years. Jasper would go along with whatever Alice wanted, so as soon as Rose got her on board with the idea of a vacation, he made the plans. Carlisle was happy to see Esme smile at the idea of "a real family vacation!" and so he did not argue when the plans were made, either. Emmett wanted to wrestle a shark, so he felt no conflicting feelings.

Edward was the only person who hadn't wanted to go, but his family would not leave without him. Well, Rose would have, but Carlisle refused to allow any of them to go if even one of them was opposed. He didn't want his family to miss out on a fun trip, something different in their always-the-same lives, and so he'd sucked it up and packed a bag. Or three. Alice had been very efficient with her bringing of his entire closet.

And so there he sat, on a beach in a small island near Hawaii, where he could hear the soft whispers, constant heartbeats, and sometimes-loud squeals of the other humans who neighbored the beach houses in the area. It was surprisingly crowded for a little beach. He sat without a blanket on the sand with his elbows resting on his knees, watching Emmett trollop through the water in search of a sea creature he could challenge.

"Edward," Alice called softly. He was sitting a few feet away from the group. "Will you bring me my bag? It's right next to you."

He looked down to see the pink tote she was requesting sitting to his left. Sighing, he hoisted himself up to a standing position and carried it to her at a human pace. She smiled up at him as she took it, whispering a thank you. Something about this place had them all being super gentle.

"This is stupid," Emmett complained loudly. Okay, so the word _all _had one exception. "There's no sharks or dolphins or . . . _anything_."

"I'm sure there _were_," Esme laughed, "before we got here. You all plunged into the water so fast you probably scared off every living thing within a mile. They can sense we're predators, you know."

"And it _is _a shore, Emmett," Rose reminded him, running a hand through her wavy blonde hair. "It's shallow. Sharks live in very deep water."

"What?" he asked, eyes widening as if that were the most shocking thing he'd ever heard.

"Do you think humans would have created this little town," Edward added, "if there were sharks prowling the waters where they wanted to swim?"

He slapped his hands into the water, defeated. "That blows," he mumbled, shoulders slumping as he began trudging his way out of the ocean. He shot a glance at the humans around the clan, debating if he could use his full speed to exit, and then decided against it. There were too many humans around them; odds were that one of them would look up at the perfect moment to see him disappear from the water's edge and reappear under an umbrella thirty feet away. "Hey, you up for hunting tonight, Edward?"

Edward looked up, surprised at the invitation. His brothers hadn't invited him to go anywhere with them since . . .

He swallowed. Since he'd left Bella.

The moment he thought her name, an overwhelming pain shot through his chest. He doubled over slightly, but controlled himself before anyone could notice. Only Jasper noticed, feeling his brother's pain as if it were his own, and gave him a sympathetic look. He was the only person who knew that the outer shell he'd put up – the hard exterior that had appeared after leaving Forks and . . . Bella behind – was all fake. Only Jasper knew that he wanted to die without her. But Alice would see him going to kill himself in Italy, and she would never let that happen. Only Jasper knew that the numbness he pretended to have was just a shield to keep his family's worries away. And Edward knew that his secret was safe with him.

"Sure," he breathed, gripping a handful of sand in his fists to fight off the hurt. He wanted his friendship with Emmett back.

It was windy that day. The air was warm, though. Or, it would be to the humans. The breeze on Edward's arms didn't faze him at all. It wasn't like goose bumps could rise up out of his skin. He was frozen, unchanging. That wasn't possible for his body anymore, and hadn't been for years.

It seemed like complete irony what happened next.

The wind shifted. The breeze that had been carrying Edward's scent away from the group was suddenly pelting him with the scents of all the humans to his left. Normally, he wouldn't mind that. His experience with the many high schools had made his thirst very bearable. But, as usual after having thoughts of his Bella and how she wasn't really his Bella anymore, Edward found that he smelt her scent laced in with that of the many humans around them. He still remembered exactly what she'd smelt like to him – though it had brought an almost unbearable pain in his throat. He was happy to have the clear memories of her face and her smell.

This time, though, as he smelt her scent in the air, he was not the only one. Thus, the irony. Emmett's head snapped up, eyes wide as his nostrils flared. His thoughts were centered on trying to figure out if the scent was real or he was simply imagining it. Like I do, Edward thought but didn't say. His family didn't know that he'd gone insane enough with missing Bella that he smelt her scent in the air.

Carlisle looked out into the water, his lungs sucking in shallow breaths to keep him calm with all of the humans around him. Light breathing kept the almost-nonexistent burn in his throat at bay, he found. _I haven't heard Bella's name in so long and now I believe that I smell her. I must miss my daughter more than I thought. _Edward closed his eyes. Bella had been a part of this family just as much as Edward himself was, and he'd made them leave her behind without an explanation. None of them had argued or complained ever since, but he knew that they'd all had periods where they missed her. Even Rosalie.

Alice was the boldest out of the group. "I smell Bella," she announced. Jasper nodded behind her.

Esme sighed. "So do I."

"Me, too," Emmett added.

Rose made a noise of agreement, but didn't exactly voice her opinion. She was much too absorbed with listening to the sounds of the waves and the squawking birds that flew above the group. In her mind, she was imagining herself sitting in the sun. In reality, the sun was tucked safely behind a sky full of clouds and would not be breaking through at all that day, which was why the Cullen family had made this trip that day.

The family's confirmation made Carlisle turn in his seat so that he was facing the bulk of the group, with the exception of Edward because he was still separate. "Perhaps it's time for a –" He glanced over to Edward, hesitating, but then figured that he'd already heard what he'd been planning to say so he continued, "We should pay Bella a little visit. To see how she's doing."

Instantly, Alice gasped and sat up in excitement. "Oh, Carlisle, can we? Can we really?"

"No." Edward's voice held a tone of authority that no one argued with. Ultimately, anything that had to do with Isabella Swan of Forks, Washington was up to Edward to decide. It was something that was understood by the whole family. If Edward didn't want to go and see her, then no one would. As he looked into the pleading eyes of his sister, though, he felt the need to explain himself. "Bella doesn't need us coming around as a reminder of . . . of what happened."

Alice frowned. "But –"

"We left so that she could move on," he continued, "and have a happy, human life. A _normal _life. If we keep coming around, she'll never get over it. She'll never move on."

"You're not _that _much of a catch, Edward," Rosalie muttered, eyes still closed. "I'm sure she's already pregnant with Mike Newton's baby."

Edward snarled before he could control it, looking away out into the water. The thought of Bella being with anyone other than himself – even if she was only dating, nothing serious – made him want to run back to Forks and rip the head off of the boy she'd chosen. His replacement.

He smirked. Thinking of them as his substitutes _did _make him feel better.

"There's no way," Alice argued. "Bella hates that boy. And Edward most certainly _is _a catch – to her. She was smitten from Day One."

"Not exactly from Day _One_," Jasper argued, remembering her feelings on her first day at Forks High School. "More like Day Two."

"Same thing," Alice sighed, waving her hand dismissively. "She loved Edward six months ago, and she loves him now." Edward met her gaze evenly and looked away quickly, not able to stand the truth of her words. Six months was not long enough for her to move on, not with the strength of her love for him Jasper had felt.

"But, guys, I _seriously _smell her," Emmett pressed. His swim trunks were still dripping with ocean water, but he didn't make a move to dry his legs despite the towel that he'd picked up for that reason. His eyes searched the faces of the humans around him, but he came up short.

"It's your imagination," Esme said sadly.

But Edward's head snapped to the left, eyes closing tightly. The sweetest sound had crept into his ears, the one sound that he would remember for the rest of his life, even if he lived forever. A heartbeat.

But not just any heartbeat.

Bella's heartbeat.

He swallowed, leaning his head back. Imagining that sound was difficult for him, but he'd become so attuned to it during his time with her that it was still crystal clear. It took him a full five minutes to realize that never before had he smelt her scent and heard her heartbeat at the _same _time – it was always one or the other.

His eyes flew open. "Bella," he whispered for the first time in six months.

"What?" Alice asked, shocked. Edward had been blocking all thoughts of his soul mate – because that's what they were, even if he didn't want to admit it – since he'd told her goodbye. At least, that's what he'd let the rest of the coven believe. Jasper hadn't mentioned anything about his sorrows to her, and her visions of him leaving the group had been few and far between lately. But they were still there. She sighed.

"Bella," Edward choked out, eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

Jasper frowned for a moment, but his face brightened when he felt an emotion he hadn't felt from his lonely brother in a long time: hope. Edward was feeling hopeful.

Alice didn't understand her brother's sudden exclamation. "Whatever," she murmured, rolling her eyes. She opened her fashion magazine again and trained her eyes on the fashions that humans were taking to those days – all fashions that she'd seen before.

"No," Edward whispered. Alice wasn't understanding him at all. _He's gone insane, _he heard her think. "I hear her – her heartbeat."

_Insane_, she repeated in her mind.

_Poor thing, _Esme sympathized.

_How can he tell? _Jasper wondered. _They all sound exactly the same. _

Alice sat up again. "Edward," she said, staring at him with wide eyes as if she were seriously worried about his sanity. "I understand that you miss her. But seriously. You have to be realistic. If you refuse to go – are you listening to me? Edward!"  
But he wasn't paying her a speck of attention. His eyes were searching desperately. She had to be here – he was sure of it. He didn't know what would have brought her here, or how long she'd been here, or if she would even want to see him. He just knew that he needed to see her. That's all he would do, he promised himself. He would just see her. He would just look at her from afar. He wouldn't even leave the protection of the just-in-case umbrella. He would just breathe in her scent and watch her – maybe she would splash around in the water and smile and laugh. Edward would carry that memory with him for the rest of his existence. Perhaps then the look on her face when he said goodbye to her in the forest would stop flashing in his mind when he thought of her and would be replaced with a happier image. He sucked in a deep breath, snapping his head to the left to search the other side of the beach. He opened his mind to the thoughts of the humans around him, no longer blocking them out. He listened for Bella's name to be thought of by one of them, watched for an image of her to appear in his mind. He did not find anything in their thoughts, but he did not need to.

His eyes widened when he saw her sitting on a small purple beach chair, reading a book under an umbrella. His breathing stopped out of shock.

"What?" Emmett demanded, eyes searching for the source of his brother's surprise. "What's happening?"

"Edward," Jasper gasped, grasping his chest desperately, falling down in front of Alice, who shot up to run a hand over his forehead.

Carlisle noted that the pain his son must have been feeling had to have been awful if it was enough to send Jasper to his needs as he second-handedly felt it.

"Edward!" Alice called out. "What are you feeling? What is –"

She never finished because Edward had snapped out of his shock and was glaring at her with all his might. _He hasn't left his spot yet, _she noted in her mind. _I would have thought he'd be at her side by now_. But Edward was too distracted by the fact that Alice had had a vision about seeing Bella on this beach and had kept it from him on purpose. He was furious.

"_How _could you not tell me about this, Alice?" he snarled, though his speed was far too quick for any human to pick up on. "How could you –"

"You love her!" Alice yelled. "You know you do! And I've seen visions of her before, Edward. She's depressed. She's not moving on! She doesn't _want _to. She is still completely in love with you, and you fight it. And she's my best friend." She returned his glare evenly. "And I'm tired of being forbidden to talk to my best friend, Edward."

He didn't even respond to that argument because all coherent thoughts were lost when Bella's voice flooded his mind.

"Tessa! I'm _not _getting in the water. I promised you that I would get on the beach. Well, look! I'm on the beach, so my promise is fulfilled. Thank you, and good night."

"_Why doesn't she want to have fun anymore?"_ the girl named Tessa complained to a redheaded girl to her right._ "When she lived in Phoenix, she was a blast."_

"_No, she wasn't,"_ the girl responded. _"You just didn't notice that Bella wasn't having any fun at the school dances. She was more fun when we went to a bookstore together."_

"_Well, that's because you two are crazy bookworms,"_ Tessa sighed. _"Whatever. Take off that cover-up and come dive under some waves with me."_

"_The sign on the lifeguard's sign says that wave-diving might not be safe!" _the girl pointed out nervously. _"It might be neck-breaking!" _

"_This is a private beach, Megan," _Tessa said, rolling her eyes. _"The lifeguards are probably jealous because they aren't as rich as us and they don't understand why they have to work on a private beach at all. They're just bitter." _

"_As rich_ as_ us,"_ Megan muttered when Tessa had walked away. _"As if Bella and I have half the money her parents do. Ridiculous." _

But Edward only heard this little conversation halfheartedly. His attention was focused on Bella as she turned the pages in her novel, brushing her hair with a hand once in a while. He swallowed.

Alice noticed her brother's intense posture. "Go talk to her," she urged him.

"No!" Emmett argued, glaring at the pixie's suggestion. He didn't think it was right to bring themselves back into Bella's life for one day, reminding her of her time with the group. "She's probably not over Edward yet," he said after voicing his thoughts to his family.

"He should at least go say hi," Alice mumbled. She thought that if Edward got close enough to speak to Bella again, he would realize that he couldn't live without her anymore.

"It's not like their still speaking, Alice," Rosalie stepped in, surprising Edward momentarily with her support. She usually disagreed with anything Edward believed in, even if his opinion made the most sense. "Edward promised her it would be as if we never existed, remember?"

_And I still resent him for that, _Alice thought before she could stop herself. She shot her brother an apologetic glance, and Edward nodded, accepting the apology in her thoughts. She didn't really feel resentment towards him – she would have liked to email her best friend after the move, but she understood why he'd created the rule that no one would contact her. She wouldn't move on if she had the constant reminder of their existence.

Edward was distracted. He watched two boys emerge from the beach house that the humans – Tessa and Megan, Bella's friends from Phoenix – and felt panic set in his chest. _Had _Bella moved on already? Was one of these boys her boyfriend? He didn't know if he would be able to handle watching them fraternize with someone she cared for in the way she'd once cared for him.

"_Hey, Tommy!" _Bella's friend, Tessa, called to one of the boys.

The blonde-haired one with scrawny arms nodded his head at the girls in the water. He placed his hands on Bella's shoulders, smiling. Edward fought the urge to race across the beach and snap his neck. _"Babe,"_ he said to her, _"why aren't you in the water?"_

The only reason Tommy lived to see the next day was because Bella leaned forward, shrugging of his hands with a sigh. _"I'm not your babe, Thomas,"_ she snapped. _"Don't touch me."_

"_Jeez, Bell,"_ he muttered. Edward watched him stalk away, rolling his eyes. _"When did you get so stuck-up?"_

"_You know why, man,"_ the brown-haired kid said, falling into step beside the boy named Tommy. He'd watched him attempt to flirt with Bella and was glad Bella had put him in his place. _"She hasn't been the same since that townie that broke her heart."_ The two tramped into the ocean, jumping sloppily over the waves that smashed to the shore.

"_It was more than that,"_ Megan said. _"I mean, she hasn't told me very much about him except that she loved him. It's going to be a while until she can open up to someone like that again." _

Finally, Edward could breathe again. Bella wasn't in a relationship. She hadn't moved on – she still had feelings for him.

"Edward," Alice called, trying for his attention, but Edward was too far absorbed in the conversation between the insignificant humans.

"_I'm hungry," _one of the girls finally announced after the group had spent a decent amount of time in the water. Tessa observed her fingers with disgust. _"We stayed in too long. Let's get food." _

"_Awesome!" _the brown-haired boy responded. _"I'm starved."_

The four humans trekked out of the ocean slowly, stumbling against the force of the waves every few steps. _"Hey, Bella," _Megan asked. _"Wanna go get some lunch?" _

"_No, I'll stay here." _

At that, the head of every member of the Cullen family (except Rosalie) snapped towards the umbrella that Isabella Swan was sitting under, and then each shot a nervous glance at Edward. If Bella was left alone, would he allow them to go and say hello?

"_Whatever," _Tommy grumbled. _"Suit yourself." _

…

"_Please_, Edward?" Alice begged from the chair next to Edward's, clasping her hands together tightly. She widened her eyes in an attempt to look innocent. "I_ just_ want to say _hi_, that's all!"

"No, Alice," he said calmly.

"But –"

"_No_, Alice," he repeated. This time, his voice portrayed the irritation that his face did not.

"Edward," she whined. "That's not fair. She was _my _best friend."

"She was _my _mate, Alice!" he countered before actually thinking of what he said. Almost instantly after his sentence, his eyes widened and he clamped his mouth shut in surprise, staring down at his knuckles as they turned white.

Alice knew she had him then. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jasper shaking his head ever so slightly. He, naturally, wouldn't want her to push Edward to his limit, but he would protect her (unnecessarily) if Edward lashed out. That limit was coming fast, she knew but didn't care. Around her, the rest of the Cullen clan had fallen silent. Carlisle and Esme hadn't wanted to interfere and so they'd ventured down into the water. Rosalie was pretending to be asleep; though whether that was for the humans around them or for the sake of her absence from this conversation, Alice wasn't sure. Emmett was on Edward's side – he didn't want to hurt Bella more by bringing her back into the vampire world. The only one who agreed with Alice was Jasper, but he didn't count because he only agreed with her because he loved her more than anything.

Alice was alone in her convincing, and she was out of suggestions.

Luckily, though, she didn't need any more.

Edward's head whipped up and he watched as Bella placed her book into a small bag next to her beach chair. She hoisted herself out of her seat and stretched her arms above her head, unknowingly giving Edward a look at the little purple-with-white-polka-dots bikini she'd put on. He scolded himself for watching her inappropriately for much too long.

"Edward," Alice said, her voice soft. "please, please, just – please. Let me talk to her." He was hesitating. She could tell by her lack of vision. But just before he opened his mouth to answer, she gasped, suddenly swept away, but not because of a vision that contained his decision.

It was a vision that contained Bella's death.

It only lasted for a second – just one fleeting moment that startled Alice very deeply. Bella had wandered her way into the water, about seventy feet away from Carlisle and Esme – not close enough to recognize them if she saw them – and was wading out a little deeper. Alice's vision showed her being swept off of her feet roughly by a very high wave, one that was much higher than her height. To make matters worse, there was no one else in the water anywhere near her who could help. If one of the Cullens didn't intervene, Bella would be taken too deep into the water for any lifeguard to help because the idiot who'd been hired wasn't paying close enough attention and wouldn't notice her until it was too late.

Edward looked up, seeing the vision in his own eyes though Alice's mind. She didn't even have to say anything – he was already gone.

…

Bella couldn't breathe. She didn't understand what had happened. Hadn't she just been standing knee-deep in the cool ocean water? Where had that giant wave come from? Oh, she was stupid to not watch the ocean in front of her. What kind of moron turned her back on the vast ocean, instead choosing to watch the incredibly wealthy people relaxing on the beach? Oh, she'd just known that coming to Hawaii in _January _was a horrible idea. She'd taken off of school _and _work for this?

She was too deep in the ocean now. Somehow, she'd been drug out farther than the depth she'd been standing in. Her fingers scraped into the wet sand of the ocean floor as her legs were pulled behind her. Her stomach chafed against the rough pebbles and she tried to open her eyes but the fear of the pain the salt water would bring them had her squeezing them tighter. She was losing her breath quickly. At any moment her body would take over and force her to gasp for air, sucking in the water that surrounded her and drowning her almost instantly. She tried not to panic.

And then, out of nowhere, something colder than the ocean water around her wrapped around her bicep. Bella jerked, thinking it was some sort of deep sea creature that was going to give her a more painful death than drowning itself. She wished she could see something beside the darkness of her eyelids. But as something of the same temperature slid down her back and splayed over her waist, she realized that it was a hand. The lifeguard! She must not have been out as far as she'd thought.

Wait, she told herself. Wouldn't the lifeguard's hands feel warm compared to the ocean?

Bella didn't have time to ponder that. Her body ran out of oxygen as she felt herself being pulled to the surface. She did not gasp – instead, her body went limp and the darkness she saw became her reality.

…

"How many more minutes?" Emmett demanded.

The whole clan was surrounding Bella as she slept – or, rather, was unconscious – on Alice's beach chair. She hadn't woken up yet after Edward had pulled her out of the water. He'd done it in such a secretive way that none of the humans around them had noticed that he'd popped up seventy feet away from where Bella had entered with her in his arms. Carlisle and Esme had been anxiously waiting and had now rejoined the group. Now, Edward was hovering protectively over Bella's sleeping form.

Alice leaned over Edward's shoulder, watching both her best friend and the future. "Three minutes," she told the group.

"Everyone back up," Esme instructed. She threw her arms out and gently pushed Emmett and Carlisle back a few steps by pressing on their chests. "She'll be very confused when she wakes. The last thing she needs is us all crowding her and making her claustrophobic."

"Actually," Alice said in a clear voice, "she'll be very calm. She already kind of figured out that it was one of us who saved her life."

"How?" Rosalie asked, stunned. She lifted the sunglasses on her head – Emmett didn't understand why she wore them; her eyes basically had a pair built-in – and stared at Alice.

"She felt Edward's hands," she responded. "They were colder than the water. That's what she'll say when she wakes up, anyway. I'm sure she knows that she was too far out in the ocean to be saved by a human."

"Having us around her will support her theory," Edward added softly.

"Don't get too attached, everyone," Emmett ordered. He waited, and when Edward did not make an announcement that supported his demand, he added, "Right, Edward?"

Edward didn't say anything.

But Emmett was very fond of Forks. He didn't want to let himself hope that they would journey back there sooner than the next few centuries. So he blocked the feeling of optimism that swelled up inside him. "It's not right to torment her like this."

"We're not tormenting her, Emmett!" Alice snapped. She'd had enough of his negative attitude. Her best friend was back in her life! What was there to be upset about? "Edward saved her life. Would you rather she'd died a watery death?"

A flash of Bella's body floating in the water, washing up on the shore they were standing on hit Emmett like a brick and he sucked in a breath, breathing in his human sister's scent. He loved Bella like he loved Alice – sisterly, unconditional affection. He wouldn't ever be able to bear the pain that he'd feel if she were lost from the earth forever. Thankfully, Rosalie – his true soul mate – and Alice – his playful friend – were immortal and would live forever. Emmett had never really thought much of how Bella would eventually die, and now those thoughts would haunt him forever. He swallowed. "No," he whispered pathetically.

Alice nodded, satisfied. "She needs us. Don't you see? She's –"

"Shut up, Alice," Edward growled, watching Bella's eyelids flutter. She would wake any moment and he selfishly wanted his own voice to be the first thing she heard, not the ramblings of his sister.

Jasper growled lowly at Edward's rudeness towards his mate, but the glare Esme gave him kept his mouth shut. She'd missed Bella the third-most out of the group, behind Edward and then Alice. This event was more than a reunion with an old friend; to Esme, it was as if she were being given back a daughter who'd been taken away, kidnapped.

"She's waking," Alice said, undeterred by Edward's order. She clapped her hands together excitedly. "Twelve seconds."

They were the longest twelve seconds of Esme's existence. Her eyes swept over the area around the Cullens' umbrella. The humans had all sensed the danger that came with the clan of vampires, and so they'd all casually created distance between their little beach areas and the one the Cullen clan had claimed. There was about a ten-foot radius around them – probably enough to keep prying ears from overhearing a delicate conversation, she decided.

"Five seconds," Alice counted down.

"Three," Edward whispered, leaning closer. He wanted Bella's eyes to open and see his instantly, to know that he was there.

"Maybe she'll react better if you aren't within her view when she first wakes, Edward," Alice suggested, picking up her speed so that only a nanosecond passed as she spoke. Her tone displayed a thoughtful meaning, but her mind told Edward something else. She wanted the same thing he did: to be the first thing Bella saw when she opened her eyes.

He wouldn't let that happen. "She's my mate, Alice," he reminded her. It felt good to say that, to finally admit it, especially after being away from her for six months. He couldn't stop staring at her face – she'd changed. It was little, insignificant changes that humans wouldn't notice. Higher cheekbones, thicker eyebrows. She looked like she'd lost a great deal of weight as well. He hoped it wasn't his fault, that she hadn't starved herself because he'd sent her into a fit of depression. She was still beautiful, though. She would always be gorgeous to him.

"She's my best friend," Alice countered.

She was literally a second away from opening her eyes. Panicking, because he wanted her to have his entire attention when that moment came, he fired out the first thing that came to his mind, even if it was the most hurtful. "She's replaced you, Alice, with one of those other girls. I haven't been replaced in her life. Who does she love more?"

Alice sucked in a breath, and this time Emmett had to hold Jasper back from ripping Edward's head off. He snarled at him a few times, but Carlisle's glare silenced him. This would be a confusing, shocking moment for Bella. She didn't need to be frightened from the sounds that were clawing their ways out of Jasper's chest.

Alice stared at Edward for half a second, heartbroken that he would stay something like that, and then turned and stepped into Jasper's waiting arms. She watched her best friend over Edward's shoulder, knowing that if vampires could cry, she would be doing so right then.

Finally, after three seconds that had dragged on forever, Bella's brown, sparkling eyes flew open.

…

"I don't remember going into the water," Bella whispered. Her voice was raw from the giant gulp of salt water that had managed to slither down her throat, making it painful to talk too loudly. The explanation Alice had provided her with was believable – her friends wouldn't have been bothered at all by leaving her behind to go out to lunch. She couldn't let herself completely believe them, though, because . . . well, because they were _there_, right in front of her eyes. Edward had promised that she would never see him again, and she'd been so upset. She'd been heartbroken. And yet now he was right in front of her, and she found that her devastation – a feeling that had been in the pit of her stomach for months – was completely gone.

It made her hesitate to believe any of them were real.

Except for Esme. Bella had always thought of Esme as a mother, and now she was back in her life. For that, she was grateful.

"We watched over you, Bella," Carlisle promised her. He was standing a few feet away, hovering slightly. His expression told Bella that he was concerned that she would pass out again.

"Edward was in the water the moment your head went under," Alice added. She was tucked behind Jasper, peeking under his arm as he glared at his brother. Bella didn't understand why Alice's mate was so intense, but she figured it had something to do with the burn in his throat that her presence would bring. "You weren't really under that long."

Emmett reached up to adjust the umbrella as the warm Hawaii sun began to peak around it's shade, just barely skimming Rosalie's beautiful skin before he managed to fix in the position that the Cullens would need it to be. Bella hardly held in her gasp as she saw the gorgeous sparkles that erupted momentarily across her forehead, above the sunglasses resting on her nose. The reminder of the differences that the vampires had from her made Bella's heart skip a beat. Rosalie tipped her head back to rest it on the back of her beach chair, sighing. She wasn't the least bit interested in Bella – she was alive, and still causing her family problems. She was a nuisance as far as she was concerned.

"Have my friends gotten back yet?" Bella asked, eyes sweeping over towards the umbrella that the group of humans had been using.

Alice shook her head. "They haven't come out of the house, if they are."

Bella didn't understand that – couldn't they hear inside the little house? It wasn't that far away . . .

Alice stepped around Jasper, coming over to kneel down beside Bella. She looked down at the human next to her and bit down on her lower lip. "Bella?" she asked quietly.

Bella looked up at the pixie-sized vampire, eyes widening in surprise. Alice had moved faster than she'd thought she had. "Um . . . yes?"

In truth, Alice was still thinking of what Edward had said before Bella had woken. She just had to know. "Which one of those girls is your best friend?"

"Alice!" Carlisle scolded. He didn't want Bella to feel bad about moving on to other friendships. After all, the Cullen family had left her. And honestly, Edward hadn't even been serious.

Bella shook her head anyway, ignoring his outburst. "No, Alice. I don't have a best friend anymore."

_Anymore_. The word echoed in Alice's mind, reminding her of the pain she'd caused the girl she'd once called her best friend in the entire world. "Bella –"

Edward noticed the tears starting to form in Bella's eyes before his sister did. Seeing Bella cry would break him down to a point that he wouldn't be able to return from. "Don't, Alice," he warned the small vampire on the other side of his love. "Just back off."

Bella's eyes shot up to Edward's face. That was the first time he'd heard his voice in six months. It sounded just as smooth and gentle as she remembered – with the exception of the day he'd left her. He'd been completely dead, emotionless when he did that. "Edward," she finally forced out. That was also the first time she'd said his name in six months.

Slowly, his eyes lowered to Bella's. And seeing the sparkle in her eyes that he'd always seen before he left, he knew that they would be okay.

God knew he couldn't leave her behind again.

…

"I'll still see you guys when I visit my mother at Easter," Bella told her human friends half an hour later. The wind shot a sharp gust at her face and she was thankful Rosalie had (though unwillingly) given her a ponytail holder so that she could keep it out of her face. "That's only, like, three months away."

"_Three months_?" Tessa scoffed. "I don't understand why you aren't staying with us _now_. We've had these plans since _October_, Bella!"

Bella's patience with these people had been used up when they neglected to come out and tell her that they'd arrived back with the food they'd gone to get. She didn't say anything, instead shoving more of her clothes into the suitcase she'd unpacked not three hours earlier.

"I mean, seriously," Tessa continued, "I don't understand how you can just pack up and get in a car with people you _just met_ –"

"I didn't just meet them. They live in Forks," she told her used-to-be friend. Glancing outside her window, she saw Jasper chasing Alice down to the water at a surprisingly humanly place. The image made her smile. "They went to Forks High School with me . . . before they moved." Her voice automatically took on a depressed, defeated tone as she spoke of the most heartbreaking period in her life.

Emmett, hearing the sadness in her tone even from the distance he was away from her, turned towards the window he knew she was looking out of. His expression was meant to be apologetic, but he could tell by the confused look she gave him that she couldn't read the remorse on his face.

"Oh, I get it," Tessa barked, irritated. "You come here with your old friends, and then when you run into your _new _friends, you leave the others in the dust. Very nice, Bella."

She couldn't resist calling Tessa out on her hypocritical actions. Wheeling on her, she remarked, "Oh, and you leaving me behind to go out to eat with Megan and Thomas and Kent isn't exactly that?"

Tessa recoiled for a second, but before she could open her mouth to respond, Bella added, "Tess, we were friends _way _before you met Megan. We met in the third grade, and _she _moved to Arizona the year before I moved away. Obviously you prefer Megan over me, and you always did. How many sleepovers did you guys have sophomore year that you didn't invite me to? How many times did you get passes for the library during study hall so that you could sit in the back and talk about boys?"

Tessa finally interjected, "That's not true!"  
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Bella yelled. "I was in that study hall, Tess. I _saw _you two get up and sign out _every _time. You've never been a true friend to me, have you?"

"Third grade!" Tessa hollered. "Fourth grade! Fifth! We were best friends! We told each other everything and did everything together!"

"And then sixth grade," Bella sighed, "everything went downhill. You discovered boys. I did not." Bella had become _interested _in boys in the sixth grade, but no boy had ever caught her eye as someone she could date until . . . Edward. "You wanted to go to the movies and kiss them in the back row. I wanted to sit home and eat cake and read books. We were north and south. We were hot and cold. We were Jacob and Edward!"

Tessa's expression went blank. "What?" she asked flatly.

Oops. She hadn't meant to spill that last comparison, but it had flown out when her mind focused on _hot _and _cold_. Jacob – the friend who'd turned out to be a werewolf that she'd fallen back on when Edward had left – ran a constant temperature of one hundred and six. Edward, the one she'd always love with all her heart, ran a temperature that was . . . well, _much _colder than that. They were polar opposites – something she'd noticed right at the beginning of her friendship with Jacob. "Nothing," she answered feverishly. "Just ignore that."

"Whatever," Tessa muttered. She'd finally had enough arguing, Bella realized. That, or she didn't have anything else to say that would support her case. Having a friendship with Bella wasn't a high priority in Tessa's life. Bella had always known that, but it still stung a little to have it proven to her. Tessa turned on her heel, eyeing the almost-full suitcase on the bed one more time before walking silently out of the room.

She'd only been gone for about three seconds when Megan's voice floated into Bella's room from down the hall. "What's the matter with _you_?"

"Bella's leaving," the girl responded casually. There was no trace of pain over losing a friend or sadness over having their vacation ruined. Bella shook her head and wondered why Tess had even bothered to keep up a friendship with her after she moved to her father's house.

"What?" Megan was shocked, and maybe a little surprised, but not upset. "Why?"

"It's not a big deal," was the answer she got.

But she still insisted, "Can we talk her out of it?"

Bella paused with her hand in a drawer, digging out a pile of clothing. This was an answer she actually was interested in hearing an answer to.

"Let her go," Tessa said, unemotional. "She's too stubborn. You may as well delete her number out of your phone. She's not our friend anymore."

"I'm not just going to do that."

Bella pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, thinking that if Megan wasn't going to take that advice, she would.

…

Edward lifted Bella's suitcase into the trunk of the Volvo he'd rented, slamming the door closed with a _bang_. Then, he held the passenger door open for Bella like the gentleman he was.

She got in the car, not-so-gracefully. "Why did you all rent separate cars?"

Edward was already in the driver's seat. "Do you really think there's room for anyone other than Rose and one other person in one car? With all of Rose's clothes, you'd think we were staying here for a year."

_Oh, shut up_, Rosalie thought towards her irritating brother.

Bella laughed. The sound completely drew Edward's attention away from the directions Carlisle was giving the group two cars back. The two met eyes for a moment, but then Bella quickly looked away. Things were awkward between the two, of course, but she loved him with all her heart, and he loved her the same way, if not more. They were a couple again, and though Bella's heart was hesitant, she was ecstatic that he was back in her life.

"Alright," Edward murmured. "We're off."

"Where are we going?"

"Didn't Alice tell you?" he asked. "There are always three parts to a Cullen vacation. We're off to Paris, now."

"You're kidding!" Bella exclaimed. "Oh, my gosh!"

Edward reached over to take her hand in his. A thrill shot through Bella's body. They hadn't really touched very much over the two days since their reunion. "It's the city of love, you know."

"I do know," she informed him quietly.

They rode in silence for a few minutes, Edward following behind Jasper and Alice's rental car, before he finally got up the courage to ask, "Who's Jacob?"

"You heard that, huh?"

"Of course," he chuckled. "I was listening very intently."

"He's a friend," she answered. "He . . . he means a lot to me."

That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. Edward wanted Bella all to himself, but he'd left her, and she'd found a friend in this Jacob. He would have to deal with the consequence of his actions and his choices. "I've got a little competition, I suppose," he murmured, so low that only his family could hear him.

"I can't see any _Jacob's _in her future," Alice commented. Edward shifted his focus to her thoughts. All of the boys she would speak to in the future, as far ahead as she could see, were Mike Newton, Eric Yorkie, and Tyler Crowley, amongst random cashiers and waiters that she would encounter in France. He frowned, puzzled. He didn't want to worry, but this Jacob person might be more trouble for him than he wanted.

And, as he would find out in a matter of two weeks, Jacob Black would cause more trouble in his very long life than he ever thought possible.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**If you liked this one-shot, please check out my other ones and my chapter story. It's already completely written and has weekly updates.**

**This didn't have a very dark, scary plot. Just something I was playing around with, a way for me to have fun. Hope you enjoyed. **

**For those of you who have noticed the differences in my one-shot and Edward's explanation to Bella at the end of Stephanie Meyer's **_**New Moon**_**, I will acknowledge them here. Edward told Bella that he was "more or less curled up in a ball, letting his misery have him" the night they returned from Italy. He said he couldn't even be around his family. I realize that he is indeed **_**with **_**his family in this passage. So it doesn't match **_**New Moon **_**perfectly, but I wasn't going for that, anyway. **

**Thanks for reading! Leave me a review and tell me what you think. All feedback is greatly appreciated. **


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